March 29, 2008 04:37 AM UTC

The Obama/Clinton battle? As American as Apple Pie

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• by: DavidThi808

from Benjamin Barber at the HuffPost

The present Obama/Clinton battle is normal by the standards of our country. Barber does a great job of explaining why (wish I could copy the whole thing here).

To go back to our founding fathers

If you’ve been watching the John Adams chronicles on HBO, you know that the birth of the young American Republic was accompanied by enough controversy, bitterness, infighting and rage to sink the project before it ever got off the ground. If it hadn’t been for the fact that democracy, rough and tough as it was, produced the right outcome.

He discusses numerous additional examples (all excellent) and then gives us

Let the democratic process run its course. Is the primary season too long? Much too long! Is the contest between Obama and Clinton too hot? Much too hot, yes, but that’s the point: the presidency is at stake, and it is only the ambitious who can stay the course (witness the fate of the lethargic Fred Thompson). Do you really expect Hillary to say “After you, kind sir”? or Obama to respond “You first Madam”?

He then addresses how it will all end. And on this I think he nails it

Let democracy run its course. As Churchill said, it’s the worst of all possible forms of government… except for all the other forms. Oh, and by the way — your heard it here first — the Hillary-Sturm and Obama-Drang notwithstanding, the Democrats WILL win — presidency, House and Senate. For which we will all owe thanks to George Bush.

Fellow Dems, enjoy the priamry. It’s normal and shows we have a strong vibrant party. And while John McCain rests and gets fat and lazy, we have two candidates who every day are gaining additional knowledge and skill in running for president.